Smiling Mind has announced the launch of a new brand and mission of ‘Lifelong mental fitness’, reinforcing a continued commitment to ending Australia’s mental health crisis and stopping the associated stigma.
“Our research suggests that to end Australia’s mental health crisis, we need to change how we think, speak, and feel about mental health. We need to champion a proactive approach to looking after our own mental health that people feel positive about,” said Smiling Mind CEO Sarah La Roche.
A survey of 900 Australians (400 aged 5-18 years) showed that mental health is still a terminology that carries negativity and stigma. Those surveyed also overwhelmingly conflate the term ‘mental health’ with ‘mental illness’.
“Building the right skills and developing healthy habits are crucial for driving the generational change we need in mental health, but equally important is how we communicate and engage with people. The language, tone, and visual approach all shape the conversation to influence real, lasting change,” said La Roche.
The new brand and app are underpinned by the Smiling Mind Mental Fitness Model, developed following extensive research into the range of skills that build and support mental wellbeing beginning in childhood and continuing as a lifelong practice.
“Importantly for us, the brand has to remain accessible to a wide audience and reflect diversity in terms of ages, cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles, and abilities so this was always central to our thinking,” La Roche said. “To ensure future generations enjoy better mental health, Smiling Mind’s new brand is energised and bold, designed to invigorate and inspire everyone, regardless of age, to proactively support their mental wellbeing”.
“Our research showed people made a spontaneous association between physical fitness and mental fitness. We want to build on this by teaching people the skills to exercise their brain, just as they do different muscles in their body, with a focus on supporting children,” added La Roche.
“In the same way we’ve been taught from a young age to exercise and eat certain foods to keep our bodies physically healthy, we want to raise awareness of the things we can all proactively do to keep our minds healthy. If Aussie kids can grow up learning these skills, we’ll be setting them up to thrive before mental ill-health prevails”.
